Mana Shim

Mana Shim
Shim with Gotham in 2023
Personal information
Full name Meleana Lokahi Shim[1]
Date of birth (1991-09-25) September 25, 1991 (age 33)[2]
Place of birth Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Ho'okalakupua
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2012 Santa Clara Broncos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2017 Portland Thorns FC 76 (9)
2015 → Iga Kunoichi FC (loan)[3] 6 (2)
2017 Växjö DFF 2 (0)
2018–2019 Houston Dash 8 (0)
2023 NJ/NY Gotham FC 5 (0)
International career‡
2012 United States U23 4 (0)
Managerial career
2022 San Jose State Spartans (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of June 25, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of April 10, 2013

Meleana Lokahi "Mana" Shim (born September 25, 1991) is an American women's soccer player and athlete advocate. Shim plays as a midfielder, and previously spent most of her senior career with Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). After the revelations of the Yates Report, Shim was named chairperson of a new Participant Safety Taskforce at U.S. Soccer.

Early life

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Shim grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she attended Kamehameha Kapalama High School and helped the soccer team to three ILH championships. In 2007, the team won the state championship.[4][5]

Shim also played for the club soccer team, Ho'okalakupua. In 2003 and 2005, the team was Region IV Finalists. In 2004, 2006, and 2007, the team was Region IV semi-finalists. In 2008, they won gold at the Surf Cup U19 Championship.[4][6][7]

Santa Clara Broncos

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Shim attended Santa Clara University from 2009 to 2012 where she was a three-year starting midfielder for the Broncos. As a freshman in 2009, she played in 20 of the squad's 23 matches. She finished the year with 21 shots, including seven during the Broncos' three NCAA Tournament matches. During her second year, Shim played in all 22 games, one of only four Broncos to do so, starting 18 matches for a total of 1,660 minutes played. She scored one goal and added three assists and was named an All-West Coast Conference honorable mention. As a junior in 2011, she started all 21 games and tallied four goals and four assists. She was named to the All-WCC Second-Team.[4][8]

Playing career

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Shim in 2013

Portland Thorns

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Shim signed with the Portland Thorns as a discovery player for the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League.[9][10] She made her debut for the team during a match against the Washington Spirit on May 4, 2013.[11] She scored her first professional goal on June 16, 2013, at Jeld-Wen Field in a match against Seattle Reign FC. After receiving a through ball from teammate Angie Kerr near the penalty spot, Shim finished with a left-footed shot past the goalkeeper. She also served her first assist during the match after stealing the ball off a bad pass and passing it to forward Danielle Foxhoven, who was making a run into the left side of the penalty box.[12] She was the Thorns' lone scorer in a 1–1 draw with the Western New York Flash on July 14, 2013, which began a scoring streak in which she scored a goal in four consecutive matches.[13][14] In 2015, Shim went on loan to Japanese football team Iga Kunoichi FC[15] but did not appear in a domestic match.

On January 10, 2014, it was announced that Shim was drafted by the Houston Dash with the fourth pick in the 2014 NWSL Expansion Draft.[16] She was traded back to the Thorns one week later during the 2014 NWSL College Draft.[17]

Växjö DFF

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In 2017, Shim signed with Swedish side Växjö DFF of the Elitettan.[18] She appeared in two matches as Växjö earned promotion to the 2018 Damallsvenskan.[19]

Houston Dash

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Shim returned to the NWSL in 2018, signing with the Dash.[20][21]

NJ/NY Gotham FC

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Shim signed a short-term injury replacement contract with NJ/NY Gotham FC on June 25, 2023.[22] One of her teammates was fellow 2021 NWSL abuse scandal whistleblower Sinead Farrelly. On August 9, 2023, Shim scored her first NWSL goal since 2015 in the 91st minute off an assist from Midge Purce.[23]

Activism and post-playing career

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See also: 2021 NWSL abuse scandal

In 2021 Shim publicly accused her former manager Paul Riley of sexual misconduct and abuse to The Athletic in a story that resulted in Riley being fired from his then-current position with the North Carolina Courage, and the NWSL to seek further investigations.[24] Her anti-harassment advocacy led to her being named one of the 2022 "Law Students of the Year" by National Jurist.[25][26] Shim graduated from the University of Hawai'i's William S. Richardson School of Law in 2022.[22]

On October 31, 2022, following the revelations of the Yates Report, Shim announced she was joining U.S. Soccer as the chair of a new Participant Safety Taskforce.[27]

Mana also spent a season as assistant coach at San Jose State University during the 2022-2023 season, during which the Spartans won the Mountain West Championship game.[28][29]

Personal life

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Shim self-identifies as Kanaka Maoli.[30][31]

Shim publicly came out as a lesbian on August 30, 2013, in an interview with Outsports, the day before the Portland Thorns FC entered the National Women's Soccer League Championship.[32]

In 2017, as part of an effort to lower the stigma of mental health issues among athletes, Shim revealed she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.[33][34][35]

Honors

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NJ/NY Gotham FC

Portland Thorns FC

References

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  1. ^ "外国人選手入団記者会見" [Press conference for foreign players]. Iga FC Kunoichi Mie (in Japanese). October 3, 2015. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "Meleana Shim Player Profile". Archived from the original on April 14, 2013.
  3. ^ "2015シーズン所属：Meleana Lokahi Shim選手" [2015 season affiliation: Player Melena Lokahi Shim]. One by Four by Nine (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Meleana Shim". Santa Clara University. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  5. ^ "Meleana Shim". Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  6. ^ "Kamehameha's Shim homes in on third title". Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  7. ^ "Meleana Shim followed her dream and landed back in Hawaii". Star Bulletin. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  8. ^ Hull, Billy (October 17, 2012). "Hawaii Grown: Shim and Santa Clara coming on strong". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. p. C5. Retrieved November 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet: Portland Thorns season preview". SB Nation. April 13, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  10. ^ "Portland Thorns FC Announces Roster". SB Nation. April 8, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  11. ^ "Washington vs Portland". National Women's Soccer League. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  12. ^ "RECAP: Portland Thorns FC 2, Seattle Reign FC 0". Portland Thorns. Archived from the original on August 21, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  13. ^ "THORNS COMEBACK TO EARN 3–1 WIN OVER SKY BLUE FC". National Women's Soccer League. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  14. ^ "Alex Morgan, Meleana Shim & Allie Long lead Portland Thorns to victory (video highlights)". Oregon Live. August 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  15. ^ "Portland Thorns loan out Catley, Johnson, Polkinghorne, Sanderson and Shim". Oregon Live. October 6, 2015.
  16. ^ "Houston Dash select 10 players in 2014 NWSL Expansion Draft". Houston Dash Communications. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  17. ^ Goldberg, Jamie (January 17, 2014). "Portland Thorns reacquire Meleana Shim and shake up roster at NWSL College Draft". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  18. ^ Sanzone, Emily (August 29, 2017). "Portland Thorns and Mana Shim mutually agree to part ways". Vavel. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  19. ^ "M. Shim – statistics". Soccerway. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  20. ^ "Houston Dash sign midfielder Meleana Shim". HoustonDashSoccer.com. March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  21. ^ "Meleana Shim". Houston Dynamo FC. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Gotham FC signs midfielder Mana Shim to short-term injury replacement contract" (Press release). NJ/NY Gotham FC. June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  23. ^ Hruby, Emma (August 10, 2023). "Mana Shim scores first NWSL goal since 2015 for Gotham FC". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  24. ^ Linehan, Meg (September 30, 2021). "'This guy has a pattern': Amid institutional failure, former NWSL players accuse prominent coach of sexual coercion". The Athletic. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  25. ^ Michelle, Weyenburg. "The National Jurist Spring 2022 Page 18". Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  26. ^ "UH student recognized as one of top law students nationwide | University of Hawaiʻi System News". Hawaii.edu. March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  27. ^ Das, Andrew (October 31, 2022). "Ex-Player Will Lead U.S. Soccer Task Force on Abuse". The New York Times. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  28. ^ "Spartan Women's Soccer Adds Meleana Shim As Assistant Coach". SJSU Athletics - Official Athletics Website - San Jose State Spartans. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  29. ^ "SJSU women's soccer crowned Mountain West champions after dramatic penalty shootout". The Spear SJSU. November 6, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  30. ^ Corbett, Jessica. "As 93 Confirmed Dead, Locals Fear Lahaina Rebuild Dominated by Rich Outsiders". Commondreams.org. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  31. ^ @meleanashim (October 20, 2021). "Thank you @RepDeborahRoss and special mahalo to my fellow Kanaka Maoli @kaikahele for co-signing" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ^ "Portland Thorns midfielder Meleana Shim comes out publicly the day before national title game". August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  33. ^ "Dash's Mana Shim tries to shine a light on her bipolar disorder". HoustonChronicle.com. August 24, 2018.
  34. ^ Goldberg, Jamie (April 9, 2018). "Mana Shim perseveres after death of her father, mental illness". OregonLive. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  35. ^ Shim, Mana (July 26, 2017). "I'm here". Mana LŌKAHI Shim. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  36. ^ "NWSL Championship highlights: Gotham FC crowned champions as Rapinoe, Krieger end careers". USA Today. November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  37. ^ "NWSL CHAMPIONS: PORTLAND THORNS FC - National Women's Soccer League". September 4, 2013. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
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